Lawn sprinkler nozzles



June 30, 1970 J, c 3,517,886

LAWN SPRINKLER NOZZLES Filed March 25, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENT OR GERHARD J. DYCK ATTORNEYS June 30, 1970 DYCK LAWN SPRINKLER NOZZLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1969 INVENT OR GERHARD J. DYCK ATTORNEYS June 30, 1970 J, K 3,517,886

LAWN SPRINKLER NOZZLES Filed March 25, 1969 3 Sheeos---Shee*v 5 {4 X b r 5/; .55 5 .59 .59 j

FIG. 9 4

INVENTOR GERHARD J. DYCK ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent The portion of the term iii? the patent subsequent to Nov. 4, 1986, has been disclaimed Int. Cl. B05b 1/26 US. Cl. 239518 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lawn sprinkler nozzle comprising a casing having a full clover-leaf or a partial clover-leaf shaped orifice and a deflection head integral with a valve stem which is mounted in the casing and extends through the orifice, the deflection head overlies the Orifice and co-operates with the orifice to deflect the water coming through the orifice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 630,634, filed Apr. 13, 1967.

This invention relates to spray devices and more particularly to improvements in lawn sprinkler nozzles.

Description of the prior art This invention is an improvement over the invention described and claimed in applicants US. Pat. No. 3,207,446, issued Sept. 21, 1965, entitled, Sprinkler Head for Water Sprinkling Systems.

The annular opening in a sprinkler nozzle has in the past been shaped approximately the same as the outline of the water pattern which is sought to be sprayed from the nozzle. For example, if a square water pattern was desired there would be provided a substantially square opening in the sprinkler nozzle. Also, this precise angular pattern could be maintained only within a narrow range of opening between the top of the nozzle casing and the deflection head. If the opening is increased the pattern will round out and if the opening is decreased the corners will be accentuated.

Lawn sprinkler nozzles of the type to which this invention pertains now on the market have one very serious drawback in that they sprinkle too much water per unit area per unit time. Very few of such nozzles, if any, can sprinkle less than one inch of water per unit area per hour. This amount of waterfall cannot be tolerated on many types of soil because the soil may waterlog or erode. Also, most domestic water systems have a rather limited capacity of water flow per minute which limits the area that can be sprinkled at one time through sprinkler nozzles which distribute a high volume of water. For example, the water inlet pipe to most Canadian city homes is threequarter inch internal diameter, providing a water flow of 7 to 9 gallons per minute at a pressure of approximately 20 pounds per square inch. At one inch per hour of waterfall this would permit coverage of a lawn area of only 800- 1,000 square feet.

In previous designs of sprinkler nozzles, the underside of the deflection head of the nozzle has been formed as an annular surface which is a surface of frustums of right cones. Such surfaces are generally inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal of about 20 or 30. These surfaces act as deflection surfaces for the fast flowing water column rising through the nozzle. A small diameter col- Patented June 30, 1970 umn of water striking the underside of the deflection head will lose considerable radial velocity due to the surface friction. As a result, the range of deflected water and the area of lawn sprayed is less than the ideal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief, the present invention is a sprinkler nozzle for sprinkling lawns with Water. The sprinkler nozzles comprise a casing with a full clover-leaf or partial clover-leaf shaped orifice in one end of the casing. A valve stem extends through the orifice and is mounted in the casing. A deflection head is integral with the valve stem and overlies the end of the casing containing the orifice and co-operates with the orifice to deflect the water coming through the orifice.

It is an object of this invention to provide for use in a lawn sprinkling system a lawn sprinkler nozzle which will distribute less water per unit area per unit time.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a lawn sprinkler nozzle having an orifice of improved configuration which will concentrate maximum water volume against a deflection head having a minimum surface area against which the water can lose its radial velocity.

It is a further object of this invention to provide for a sprinkler nozzle a deflection head of such construction that the surface friction developed by the impinging water will be minimized, resulting in increased radial velocity of water spray.

It is a further object of this invention to provide for a sprinkler nozzle in which the opening between the top casing of the nozzle and the deflection head may vary without in any Way lessening the accuracy of the spray pattern.

These and other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying figures of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the sprinkler nozzle of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view in partial section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the deflection head of the sprinkler nozzle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the deflection head for a sprinkler nozzle;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an alternative construction of an orifice;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the orifice of FIG. 5 taken along the line VIVI;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional View of a further embodiment of a sprinkler nozzle;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of a sprinkler nozzle;

FIG. 9 is a full side view of the valve stem including the deflection head illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a detail view in partial section taken along the line X-X of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in FIG. 1 the sprinkler nozzle 1 according to this invention comprises casing 2 with a tapered portion 3 at one end thereof. An orifice 4 is formed in the tapered portion. A short tube 5 is fixed in the interior of the casing 2 below the tapered portion 3 by any suitable means, such as by radial fins 6. A valve stem 7 including a deflection head 8 is mounted in the short tube 5 so that an annular shoulder 9 of the valve stem 7 rests on a top edge 10 of the tube 5. The lower end 11 of the valve stem 7 extends beneath the lower end of the tube 5 and is threaded to receive a nut 12 to retain the deflection head in a fixed position in relation to the orifice 4. The position of the nut 12 will control the amount of the opening between the top of the casing 2 and the deflection head 8. The larger the opening the larger the spray pattern that can be obtained.

The deflection head 8 is located in relation to the top of the casing 2 so that a stream of water emerging from the orifice 4 contacts the undersurface 13 of the deflection head 8 and is deflected as shown by the arrows A and B in FIG. 3.

The design of the orifice 4 is shown in FIG. 2. Four concavely curved surface 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d surround the top inner edge 21 of the orifice 4. Scalloped sides 22 are provided on the inner edges of surfaces 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d. The intersection of each of the edges of the scalloped sides forms a point 23 jutting inwardly towards the centre of the orifice.

Each scalloped side 22 is an arc of a circle having a lesser diameter than the diameter of an imaginary circle, the circumference of which touches the four jutting points 23. Hereafter in this application an orifice of this design will be characterized as a clover-leaf shaped orifice.

The points 23 only jut inwardly towards the centre of the orifice a distance of approximately 10% of the diameter of an imaginary circle having a circumference which would pass through points C, D, E, and F. Therefore the orifice is an opening of almost circular cross-section.

The undersurface 13 of the deflection head 8 is composed of a conical shaped undersurface 24 and an annular chamber 25. The annular chamber 25 is formed around the valve stem 7 below the conical shaped undersurface 24. When the water initially passes through the nozzle it emerges through the orifice 4 and fills this chamber 25. The water filled chamber will then act as a deflecting surface, which serves to minimize both the turbulence and friction between the waterflow and the deflecting surface.

The passage of water through an orifice possessing four points evenly spaced as illustrated in FIG. 2 would result in a square spray pattern. The square pattem would be produced as follows:

The water column flowing through the clover-leaf orifice takes the shape of the orifice with four depressions and four projections or crests. On striking the deflection surface the depressions and crests are deformed and fly radially outwards. As they are deformed adjacent crests will collide at the midline of the original depressions and form their own crests to fly radially outwards and form the corners of a square spray pattern.

The number of points in the orifice will vary depending on the pattern of the surface area of the lawn to be sprayed with water. The number of jutting points need not necessarily be four as illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the passage of water through an orifice possessing three points evenly spaced would result in a triangular spray pattern.

By using the clover-leaf shaped orifice, which is substantially circular it can be readily seen that area of the undersurface of the deflection head required to deflect the same column of water issuing through the nozzle is less than that required with a square orifice. The reason being that the area of a circle transcribed in a square is less than the area of the square itself. Due to the decreased area of the undersurface of the deflection head the friction between the deflection head and the deflecting water is decreased and the deflected water will have more radial velocity than would be possible with a deflection head having a larger undersurface area. As a result a larger area of lawn will be sprayed.

The clover-leaf shaped orifice also has the advantage over a complete circular orifice in that it sprays a square rather than a circular pattern. The square pattern avoids the overlapping of water spray which is necessary if the same area is to be sprayed from water issuing from a circular orifice.

The clover-leaf shaped orifice also has the advantage that it can provide a precise pattern even though the 4% amount of the opening between the top of the casing of the nozzle and the deflection head is varied from a small to a large opening.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a deflection head 8' in which is provided two concentric annular chambers 25' and 26. In this case the second chamber 26 also fills with water and gives an added reduction of friction. It has been found that the addition of a second annular chamber in the deflection head will increase the area of coverage and reduce misting.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative form of construction for the orifice. The orifice 30 is formed in the upper end of the cylindrical casing 32 with four cancavely curved surfaces 33, 34, 35 and 36. The conca-vely curved surfaces are formed in the same manner as described and illustrated with respect to FIG. 2. However, in this embodiment the four inwardly jutting points 37 of the orifice 30 are tapered ends of four pins 38 inserted slightly through the casing 32. Each pin 38 is inserted in the casing 32 in such a manner that its point 37 is in line with the intersection of two concavely curved surfaces and parallel with the axis of the casing 32. Each of the four pins 38 are secured in place by a set screw 39. When the orifice is constructed in this manner it is a simple operation to change the shape of the orifice and thus the spray pattern. When all the pins are retracted within the casing, the orifice is round and the resulting spray pattern would also be round. By adjusting the pins various spray patterns may be obtained. For example, if two pins were retracted and two pins left projecting into the annular opening in the casing, a half round and a half square spray pattern would result.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further variation in the spray nozzle of this invention. A nozzle of the type illustrated in FIG. 7 is adapted to be placed at the end of the lawn to provide a spray pattern from the edge of the lawn inwards. In this nozzle the casing 42 is given an orifice 43 which is one half of a full orifice as illustrated and designated 4 in FIG. 2. A one half valve stem 44 containing a deflection head 45 adapted to co-operate with the orifice 43 is mounted in the casing by any suitable means, such as a press fit. The portion of the deflection head above the orifice 43 has an undersurface which is composed on a half conical shaped undersurface 47 and a semi-annular chamber 48.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a still further variation in the construction of the spray nozzle of this invention. In the nozzle of the type illustrated in these figures the valve stem is mounted in the casing in a different manner from which it is mounted in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIGS. 8 and 10 each of one pair of opposing scalloped sides 52 of orifice 51 is divided into two equal parts 'by a notch 53. A valve stem 56 which includes a deflection head 57 contains a central partition 54 therein which divides the valve stem in half and extends radially from the valve stem to form a pair of opposing ears 55. The ears 55 of the valve stem 56 are mounted in the notches 53' of the scalloped sides 52 by any suitable means, such as a press fit. Each of the ears 55 has a locking prong 58 at its bottom end and an indented surface 59 on its edge to help secure the valve 56 in the casing 50. When the valve stem 56 is inserted in the cloverleaf orifice 51 the prongs 58 will bend inwardly into the notches 53 and then lock into position when the indented surfaces 59 on the edge of each of the ears 55 touches the top surface of the sprinkler casing. The undersurface 60 of the deflection head 57 has two semi-annular chambers 61 and 62 formed around the valve stem 56. The two semi-annular chambers 61 and 62 are separated by the partition 54. The casing 50 contains a metal weight 63 in its bottom portion.

FIG. 8 also illustrates a means for fastening a casing containing a clover-leaf orifice in a sprinkler system. The casing 50 is contained inside a threaded sleeve 64 in such a manner that it may slip freely up and down within the sleeve 64. Casing 50 has a cylindrical flange 65 surrounding its outer bottom end to prevent it from slipping out of sleeve 64. Sleeve 64 threads into a riser 66 which is attached to the water line. The threaded sleeve 64 serves two functions in that it assures a free rising and falling sprinkler casing and it allows the height of the casing to be adjusted.

A sprinkler nozzle of the nature disclosed herein will increase the area of coverage for the same water flow. It is also possible to use a nozzle according to this invention to spray less than one half inch per hour with substantially less water flow than is possible on the same area with nozzles now in use.

While there has been illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A sprinkler nozzle comprising:

(a) a casing;

(b) an orifice in one end of said casing having a first pair of opposing scalloped sides and a second pair of opposing scalloped sides, each of said second pair of opposing scalloped side walls being divided into two equal parts by a notch, said scalloped sides intersecting to form inwardly jutting points towards the centre of said orifice, each scalloped side being an arc of a circle of less diameter than a diameter of an imaginary circle, the circumference of which touches said jutting points;

(c) a valve stem extending through said orifice with a partition contained in the central portion thereof, said partition having a pair of radially extending opposing ears fitting into the notches which divide the second pair of opposing scalloped sides;

(d) a deflection head integral with said valve stem and overlying the end of said casing containing said orifice in such a manner so as to co-operate with said orifice to deflect water coming through said orifice.

2. A sprinkler nozzle according to claim 1 in which the deflection head contains on its undersurface two semiannular chambers surrounding said valve stem, said semiannular chambers being separated by the said partition of the said valve stem.

3. In combination, a sprinkler nozzle according to claim 1 and a threaded sleeve, said sleeve being adapted to contain said sprinkler nozzle and to allow said sprinkler nozzle to move freely up and down within said sleeve, said threaded sleeve being threaded into a riser.

4. In combination, a sprinkler nozzle according to claim 2 and a threaded sleeve, said sleeve being adapted to contain said sprinkler nozzle and to allow said sprinkler nozzle to move freely up and down within said sleeve, said threaded sleeve being threaded into a riser.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 504,897 7/1920 France.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner M. Y. MAR, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

